Chapter 3
Chapter Three
They didn’t have to walk far for things to change drastically.
It was as if one moment, the area they were in was poor and neglected, and the next, they were standing in front of a luxurious palace that looked so out of place here that Justin wondered how it had ended up in the middle of a city like this.
He didn’t think he’d find out, even if he asked. The demons escorting him still hadn’t said anything to him. They weren’t hurting him, though, which he took as a good sign. Still, that didn’t help much.
He suspected they were taking him to whoever was in charge. Maybe Justin could ask them about his mother, or, even better, about a portal back to the human realm. Right now, he wasn’t sure he wanted to stick around.
Finding his birth mother wouldn’t bring Caitlin back. Justin realized that was what he was looking for, but it was also a distraction. He desperately needed not to think about Caitlin and her death, or even his brothers.
The guards walked through a side door, and of course, Justin went with them.
The palace was as beautiful inside as it was outside, all white stone and ornate carvings.
The furniture told Justin that whoever lived here had money, which left a bitter taste in his mouth, considering the state of the rest of the city.
It wasn’t like he could bring it up, though.
He didn’t want to die today, or anytime soon.
He was nothing but a guest here, even though part of him belonged here.
He had no right to say anything about what he’d seen.
The guards dragged him up and down hallways, to the point where he doubted he’d be able to find the door through which they walked in again.
When they stopped in front of two massive doors, he knew that this was it.
He had to make a good first impression on whoever was behind these doors, so he straightened his back and raised his chin.
The demons surrounding him barely reacted.
When the demon in charge gestured, the two still holding Justin’s arms let go, and Justin quickly took a step forward, eager to be away from them.
They might not have hurt him, but they’d still dragged him around like he was a puppet, and he didn’t like that.
“Quiet,” the head guard ordered.
He pushed open the doors, revealing what Justin knew had to be a throne room since there was a throne right at the center in front of him.
It was empty, but it looked like something a king might sit in.
Justin thought it was wood, but every inch of it had been covered with gold.
It had a plush cushion to make it more comfortable, and it was on a raised platform so that everyone in the room could see the person sitting there.
The rest of the room was pretty much empty, as if the ruler expected everyone to stay on their feet.
A long carpet connected the doors to the throne, and the guard walked down it, Justin hurrying to keep up with him.
A side door opened, startling Justin because he hadn’t noticed it. A demon poked their head through, frowning when they saw Justin and the guard. The guard made a sign for Justin to stay where he was, and Justin obeyed. How could he not?
The head guard quickly walked toward the other demon.
Their skin was pale gray. Justin looked down at himself.
He was pink, just like every other human, which was probably good for him while he was in the human realm, but here, he wasn’t too sure.
He felt out of place—which he was—but also like everyone could tell that he was.
The head guard and the other demon had a hushed conversation. The other demon kept glancing at Justin before they disappeared back through the door. The guard came back to Justin and stood next to him, crossing his arms over his chest. He still didn’t say anything to Justin.
He wasn’t surprised when the back door opened again, but he was surprised by the demon who came through.
She was beautiful. Her long black hair flowed around her shoulders, and her yellow dress moved with every movement of her legs. She was barefoot, wearing enough jewelry to pay Justin’s rent for a year, and was staring at Justin with dark eyes lined with black makeup.
There was something about her that made Justin feel like prey. He had to resist the urge to scream and run away. It wouldn’t make a good first impression, which was what he needed to avoid getting kicked out—or, worse, killed.
The demon went to sit on the throne. That had to mean she was the queen, right? Was Justin supposed to bow? Would she be offended if he did, or if he didn’t?
“I was told you were looking for Anya Onemo,” the demon said. Her voice was soft, but there was an edge to it that made Justin uncomfortable.
He glanced around the room, but there was no one there to support him. “I am,” he confirmed.
“Why?”
Justin told himself that these people were just curious about him. It was clear he wasn’t from here, so they wanted to know why he was there and who he was looking for. “Because she’s my mother.”
“A demon having a human child?”
“I’m half demon. I’ve only ever lived in the human realm, but my father told me about my mother. I decided it was time to meet her.”
“What was your father’s name?”
“Matthew. Matthew Robinson. They met in the human realm, and apparently, it was love at first sight for him. I’m not sure how she felt about him because I’ve never met her.”
“Would you want to?”
“It’s why I’m here.”
She stared at him until he wanted to squirm, but he forced himself to stay still. He had no idea what was going on, but considering this was the queen, she could probably help. He hoped she could, anyway. He wasn’t sure what else to do to find his mother.
Eventually, the demon smiled. It was a little scary, with her fangs and everything, but it made her even more beautiful. It also sent a shiver down Justin’s spine.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Justin Robinson.”
“Well, Justin Robinson, I have good news for you.”
Justin perked up. “Really?”
“Really. You’re here to find your mother, and you have. Welcome home, son.”
Mynor groaned when the kick landed on his kidneys.
He needed those to live, dammit. He was tempted to try to protect them, but from experience, he knew it was better if he stayed curled up and protected his front.
His stomach was still bruised from the beating he’d received a few days ago—or at least, he thought it had been a few days. He’d completely lost track of time.
The guard beating him sucked in a breath. The demon was panting, and Mynor was tempted to make a joke about him being out of shape. He might have if he hadn’t felt like he was about to throw up, although it might be fun to throw up in the guy’s face.
The sound of a door opening gave the guard pause. Mynor took the opportunity to take a deep breath and try to slide away, but there was nowhere for him to go. He was stuck in his cell.
“What?” the guard who’d been beating him barked out.
“I have his food.”
“Just put it somewhere.”
The guard who just arrived shook his head. “You won’t believe what’s happening.”
Mynor rolled his eyes, relieved that neither of the guards was paying him attention right now.
They were worse than old ladies. The amount of gossip Mynor had heard since he’d been locked up was something he could have done without.
He didn’t care which guards were sleeping together, even though one of them was married, or what everyone else thought of it.
He certainly didn’t care about their complaints about how hard their job was and how they should get paid more for it.
The guard who’d been beating him spat on the grounds next to him and stepped toward the cell door. Mynor didn’t move. He waited until the second guard had set the tray down by the cell entrance and the cell door was closed again before rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling.
Fuck, that hurt.
“Well?” the violent guard—Pythom if Mynor remembered right, but he didn’t really care—said.
The other one leaned against the wall. “I heard from Melom, who heard from Graman, that they picked up this guy in town. It was clear that he didn’t belong because he’s not a full demon, so they thought they’d bring him to Anya so she could have fun, you know? Turns out, the guy’s her son.”
Pythom gasped. “Anya has a son?”
“Looks like it because that’s what she called him. Well, it’s what Graman said she called him, anyway. He was the only one with them there, so I think it’s true.”
“Or he could be lying. You know how he is. Always trying to get people’s attention.”
Mynor moved slowly so he wouldn’t get noticed.
He sat up, and when the guards still didn’t look his way, moved toward the tray that had been abandoned by the entrance.
He wrinkled his nose at the dry bread and what looked like moldy stew.
It wasn’t like he had a choice. It was either eat or starve, and even though he kind of wanted to die right now, he didn’t want to give Anya the satisfaction.
She’d have to kill him if she wanted him gone.
She would.
“So what do we know about this guy?” Pythom asked.
“Only that it looks like he’s half human.”
“Anya really has a human child?”
“You know how people say that she spent some time in the human realm? I didn’t believe it, but it looks like I was wrong.”
“Yeah, but still. Having a child with a human?” Pythom shuddered dramatically. “Can you imagine having sex with a human?”
Mynor stuffed a bit of bread in his mouth.
He’d never thought much about the human realm.
Nothing that happened there was his business.
He’d been more focused on life in Hell under Anya’s rule, but maybe this was something he could use.
He didn’t even care if this guy was actually her son. What mattered was that she said he was.
Except that Mynor couldn’t do anything about it because he was stuck here.
Who could he tell about Anya’s son? No one but the guards, and they already knew.
They’d beat him if he attempted to talk to them, and while he knew that his body wasn’t quite there yet, he wasn’t sure how many more beatings he could take.
“So what’s going to happen now?” Pythom asked.
The other guard shrugged. “Who knows? She acts like she wants to keep him here, but I don’t know why she’d want to keep a human. She’s already ordered a suite cleaned up and prepared, though.”
Mynor tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling again. Of course she had. If this guy was her son, he was probably as cruel and evil as she was. That wouldn’t be good for anyone involved except Anya herself.
Mynor had never considered taking her head on.
It would have been ridiculous because he wouldn’t have won.
She was too powerful, and even if she weren’t, she had too many people on her side, both because they feared her and because of the power and riches she offered to those who pleased her.
She didn’t have an heir, though. Mynor had thought that meant that once she was dead, there would be no one to take her place and continue her reign of cruelty.
He’d been wrong. She did have an heir. Mynor didn’t know anything about the guy, but if he was here for Anya and if she’d welcomed him with open arms, there was a good chance she would groom him to take her place. Then they’d have to deal with a second monster even after the first one was gone.
If they ever managed to get rid of the first one.
There was nothing Mynor could do from where he was.
He couldn’t even warn Alphan. He knew that Alphan was working on finding a way to get him out of there, but this was getting more dangerous by the day.
If Anya really had a son, she’d do everything in her power to keep him safe.
The palace had been a fortress before, and it had been a miracle that Alphan and Mynor had managed to get in. They wouldn’t get a second chance.
That meant that Mynor would be stuck here. He’d probably die here.
He groaned. He’d known this was a very real possibility, but deep inside, he’d hoped. Now, that hope was gone. The only thing he could do was try to survive as long as possible, but what was the point?
Mynor wasn’t sure there was one.